FOOTBALL NOTES.

New Zealand Times, Volume LXXI, Issue 4366, 25 May 1901, Page 7 (Supplement)

FOOTBALL NOTES.

RUGBY. (By “Touch.”) The battle of tho giants on Saturday last resulted in victory for Wellington by 19 points to Melrose 13. The game wa.s won by the superiority of the Wellington back division. Burr and Wood galloped like 'a pair of racehorses, according to current gossip. The Melrose pack played a hard game, but wore down to almost a standstill at the finish.

Laws, J who played at full-back and at three-quarter for the Athletic Club four or five years ago, returned to Wellington this month. On Saturday he donned the red and blue jersey and played a very fair game for Melrcse. Burr, the Wellington three-quarter, will leave Wellington for Napier 'ids week, to teach the raw recruit how to shoot. He will be greatly missed hy his club mates.

'“Baby” Wilson, lightning pot-shot" oi old-time Canterbury rep. teams, and one of tho best all-round cricketers in the Hawke’s Bay district, has been promoted to the Union Bank in Christchurch. His loss is very much deplored in cricket and football circles in the Island. “Baby” will be remembered by old-time Weliingtonians as a miminutive-statured, bulky-calved little wonder, who played full back for the Athletic Club for a season or two. He was “game as a pebble” and tricky -as a bag of monkeys.

At the last meeting of'the Otago Rugby Union an inquiry was held into the case of King (Zingari-Richmond), reported by Mr J. L. Jamieson (a spectator) for striking Morrison (Kaikorai) in tho ZingariRichmoud v. Kaikorai match. Tne committee found that King was guilty of unnecessarily rough play, and decided to suspend him for a week. “Forward,” of the J ‘‘Otago Witness,” thus comments on the decision :—The first case of a player reported to the Rugby Union by a .spectator for rough piay came before that body on Jiouday evening. -King, the player reported, was found guilty of having struck an opponent in the Zingari-KaikOrai match, and suspended for a whloe wc§k; net a whole week, mind you, of seven daj-s, in which football is played, but suspended for six days on which it is not, .and asked to stand down on the seventh day which constitutes a football week. King and others might well exclaim: “Can they spare it?” Mr Arthur -W. Mountfort, sercctary of the Wanganui Rugby Union, writes as follows under date 16th May:—Sir,—

About the end cf last month your football contributor'‘'Touch,” in referring to the proposal of the Wellington Rugby Union for amalgamation of the Unions cf this province for representative iuterproviucial matches made a number of untrue and uncalled for statements with regard to the action of the AA anganui Rugby Union innhe matter. I trust'you will allow me to put the real facts before your readers. About November last year I 'received a letter from the hon. ■secretary of the W ellington Rugby Union suggesting the amalgamation, and stating that his Committee would place tno terras of such amalgamation before this Union either by letter or by delegation. At the beginning of this season, instructed by my Committee, I wrote asking for the said'tenns, intimating that the same would be laid before cur general meeting on 13th April. On this date I received the following letter in reply ; Wellington, 11th April, 1901. 'Acting-Sec. Wanganui Rugby Union. ‘ Dear Sir, —I am desired to express the pleasure of the Management Committee of my Union at the receipt of ycurs of 2nd inst, and in reply have to 'state that the Committee will await the replies from the other Unions written to before submitting terms of amalgamation, on receipt of which I will write you again. Yours faithfully, (signed) D. McKenzie. Secretary.” The above is the letter which was read at J our general meeting and which was ordered to lie on the table pending further information —not, as alleged by ‘‘Touch,” the first letter suggesting amalgamation. Under the circumstances I fail to see the ‘‘breach of common courts esy” which “Touch” takes exception to. The other remarks of your writer with regard to this Union we can afford to ignore, but, it is to be regretted that he did net obtain reliable information on the subject. Certainly his thoughtless and injudicious statements will not ‘assist the Wellington Union in its proposal, nor will they tend to smooth over any differences which -may exist between the two bodies. Thanking you, sir, in anticination.”

7n regard to the foregoing explanation, I must express my satisfaction, at having found out that things were not as they seemed. The error on my part arose through an incorrect report of the proceedings published in a local paper on th„ Friday succeeding the meeting. As to ‘■the other assertions” which the Union, by its secretary, “can afford to ignore,” I have nothing further to say than this: my information was thoroughly reliable, for it was based on a personal three year’s experience as a playing member of the Wanganui Football Club during the period in which occurred the incidents to which I took exception in my note of April last. However, the present body is not responsible for the laches of its predecessors; and since by its secretary it disclaims any intention to follow such a bad precedent, I on my part apologise for in 3’ unwitting mistake, and conclude with a hope that the Wanganui Union will give a thorough and impartial consideration to the amalgamation proposals when they are definitely placed before it. The 'Queensland Rugby Union has instituted district competitions, and has passed a rule which provides that players must bo residents of the districts for which they intend playing for at least three mouths before the start of competition matches. This rule will knock the system of importing players from the other colonies on the head. In the past it had an injurious effect in Northern Queensland, tor the stronger clubs generally secured the players with “reputations.” Auckland Rugby Union imposes a qualification term of four and a half months.

The following notice of motion was given at “the last meeting of the Horowhenua Rugby Union: —“That the postponement of championship matches from the cause of inclement weather be left in the hands of 'the opposing captains and the appointed referee to decide.” This is a matter already provided for in the rules of the game. The two' captains "are in the first place the judges as to fitness ; if they be not unanimous, then the referee shall give a deciding vote. The annual report of the Queensland Rugby Union makes mention of the fact that Queensland was successful in three out of four representative matches against New South Wales last season. There is a Rugby football club in existence at Bourke, New South Wales. Bourke is the town for which thermometers are made with safety Valves attached, in order that the steam from the boiling mercury may not cause an explosion, so the enthusiasm of the club’s members for football is absolutely beyond cavil.